The present invention relates generally to techniques for molding parts and/or assembling parts and/or releasing parts from molds, including the manufacture and processes for manufacture and assembly of wafer molded and mold grown parts and their assembly on a wafer scale to other parts for NEMS and MEMS. The present invention relates more specifically to techniques for molding parts using block multi-cavity molds and assembling these parts by a mold-to-mold or mold-to-lithographically-constructed-part (or machine) technique,
In the description that follows, reference will often be made to diamond as the material being molded. It should be understood that in general, the techniques apply to a variety of other special materials (including cubic boron nitride, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, titanium carbide, titanium nitride, quartz, glass, silicon oxides, chrome and other metals, metal carbides, nitrides, and magnetic and optical materials). Therefore, references to “the diamond” or “the diamond tip” should be read broadly unless the context suggests that diamond's unique properties should limit the reference to diamond.
The use of silicon and other materials to mold or act as growth substrates for diamond and other refractory or special materials has been taught in earlier patent applications and issued patents by this inventor, more particularly U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,144,028, 6,252,226, 6,337,479, 6,339,217, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference.